Apparatus for manufacturing ice in plates



Aug. 8, 1933. H. J. SPAAN I APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ICE IN PLATES fnranfor; H, J sfoan J )7 KM File N7, 14, 1931 Ff 2 T 8 2 9y Patented Aug. 8, 1933 PATENT-OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING-ICE IN PLATES m.

Henri Jacobus Spaan, Surabaya, Java, Dutch East Indies Application November 14, 1931, Serial No. 575,065, and in the Netherlands June 29, 1931 1 Claim. (01. 62-160) The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the manufacturing of ice in plates or slabs and has for its object to obtain ice of a very good quality by means of a simpler and less expensive process than it is up to now applied for the manufacturingof ice in blocks.

The invention consists in this that the water during the'entire freezing process is caused to cooled by a circulating cooling medium.

In the known processes for the manufacturing of ice in plates the ice is only formed at one side of a metal sheet and the duration of the entire ice formation is generally not less than five or six days. According to the new method however the ice is formed at the whole periphery of the inner wall'of the gutter and the dimensions of the gutter can be so chosen that the duration of the growing of the ice does not exceed'that of blockice.

Another object of the invention is to produce an apparatus for carrying into effect the new method. According to the invention the apparatus may comprise a plurality of gutter shaped troughs with substantially rectangular cross section arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart. The side walls and the bottoms of all the troughs are provided with mutual communicating jackets for the cooling medium whereas the troughs are connected in series one to the other by means of connecting troughs projecting outside said jackets;

By using this apparatus one may obtain, choosing a corresponding width of the troughs, ice plates with a thickness equal to that of the known blocks. The plates may be sawed in blocks of the desired dimensions.

The walls of the connecting troughs, projecting outside the cooling jackets arenot cooled; in these connecting troughs therefore practically no ice formation can take place.

A constructional example of the invention is illustrated diagrammatically on the accompanying drawing in which:-

Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken in the vertical plane.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the ice formation in successive stages. A

Six metal gutter shaped troughs 1 are arranged one next to another. The troughs have a substantially rectangle cross section; at the top they are somewhat wider than at the bottom, according to the section of the known cells.

The ends of the troughs are interconnected circulate through a gutter, the walls of which are by means of connecting troughs or so-called waterchambers 2 of the same cross section, in such a way that the water to be frozen flows through the six troughs in one continuous flow. I

The troughs are as far as the upright walls 0 and the bottoms concerns, provided with a jacket 3, through which the cooling medium may be conducted. Thewater chambers 2 project outside the jacket 3. I y I The troughs 1 form part of a fresh water cird cuit the water being kept in continuous circulation by a centrifugal pump 4. In this circuit is further arranged a delivery valve 5 and a filter 6. The water flows in the direction indicated by th arrows '7. I

The cooling'jacket is provided with bafile plates 8, causing the cooling medium introduced to follow the way indicated by the arrows 9 on the drawing. This cooling medium is conducted by a pump 10 from an evaporating vessel 11 through the conduct 12; flows at 13 into the jacket 3, leaves the jacket at 14 and flows through the v conduct 15 back into the vessel 11.

The freezingof the water in the troughs 1 takes place only along the long sidewalls and the bot- 8o toms. In the first stage of the freezing process the circulation of the water occurs over the total water section in the troughs (see Fig. 3). As soon as the water has begun to freeze the water level in the troughs will rise (see Fig. 4) and finally (see Fig. 5) the circulation will only take place at the top of the troughs. The water level may be observed bya gauge-glass 16 mounted on one of the waterchambers 2.

As the quantity of Water, circulating during the freezing process is gradually decreasing, the capacity of the pump 4 should be adjusted accordingly; such regulation may be effected by the throttling of the valve 5.

By the circulation of the water no air or salts separated out of the water can remain frozen within the ice and in this way ice is formed wholly transparent without any core. If salts should be separated, they will assemble in the waterchambers in which the water does not freeze.

The loosening of the ice is obtained by stopping the supply of cooling medium from the evaporating vessel 11. During the thawing period the cooling medium is conducted through a fresh water tank, thus effecting the precooling of the fresh water down to about 0 C. before it is led into the troughs 1.

The formed ice plates can be removed from the gitudinal side walls and the bottoms of all the troughs, waterchambers projecting outside said cooling jackets and interconnecting the adjacent troughs in such a way that the water to be frozen is caused to flow through all the troughs in series, said waterchambers having a crosssection practically equalto that of the troughs. vertical baffle plates between the longitudinal sidewalls of each pair of adjacent troughs causing the cooling medium to flow along all the vertical side walls, as well as all the bottoms of the troughs in one continuous stream.-

HENRI JACOBUS SPAAN. 

